ZRG's Fortium Buy Cements Major Bet on On-Demand Tech Leadership

ROCHELLE PARK, NJ & DALLAS, TX – June 16, 2026 – In a move that signals a significant shift in the executive talent landscape, global advisory firm ZRG today announced its acquisition of Fortium, a specialized firm providing on-demand Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs). The deal, which integrates Fortium into ZRG’s Interim Solutions division, is more than a simple expansion; it is a calculated, strategic bet on the burgeoning demand for fractional and interim executive leadership in the technology sector.

For ZRG, which bills itself as the fastest-growing talent advisory firm, the acquisition adds a highly sought-after capability. It allows the firm to offer clients immediate access to seasoned technology operators without the lengthy search process and long-term commitment of a full-time hire. Fortium, founded in 2014, has built a formidable network of over 180 technology executives who serve more than 400 client organizations, from mid-market companies to Fortune 500 giants and private equity firms managing over $1 trillion in assets.

“Companies are making more nuanced decisions about leadership than they did even a few years ago, particularly in technology,” said Mark Viner, leader of Interim Solutions & Project Consulting at ZRG. The acquisition, he noted, allows for placing experienced operators “in a way that is aligned to the actual need, not a default org chart.”

This sentiment is echoed by Fortium's founder, Burke Autrey, who will now serve as President of Fortium Partners within ZRG. “Technology leadership is a business capability decision, not a hiring event,” Autrey stated, emphasizing the cultural alignment between the two firms. “This combination works because the culture matches, and culture is what shapes how we serve clients and how that trust holds when it matters most.”

A Market in Motion: The Rise of the Fractional Executive

ZRG’s acquisition of Fortium is not happening in a vacuum. It is a direct response to a powerful market current: the explosive growth of on-demand executive talent. What was once a niche solution for temporary gaps is now becoming a mainstream strategy for agile businesses. Industry analysts describe the growth in the fractional executive market as “unprecedented,” driven by a confluence of powerful economic and technological forces.

Digital transformation is at the heart of this shift. As companies race to integrate AI, cloud platforms, and advanced data analytics, the need for strategic, experienced technology leadership has never been greater. Yet, a persistent global talent shortage makes finding and retaining these leaders a monumental challenge. Projections indicate a shortfall of nearly 4.8 million cybersecurity professionals in 2025 alone. This scarcity drives up costs and extends hiring timelines, leaving many companies vulnerable.

The fractional model offers a compelling solution. Research from Gartner predicts that by 2027, over 30% of midsize enterprises will retain at least one fractional executive. A 2024 survey confirms the trend is already well underway, with 38% of mid-market companies now using a fractional executive, up from just 22% in 2021. The appeal is clear: businesses gain access to top-tier talent at a fraction of the cost—by some estimates, up to 67% less than a full-time hire—and can see a measurable impact in 30-45 days, compared to the typical 6-9 month executive search and onboarding process.

The M&A Engine: Fueling a Full-Service Talent Vision

This acquisition is a textbook example of ZRG’s aggressive growth strategy, meticulously executed under CEO Larry Hartmann. Over the past several years, Hartmann has transformed the firm into a $230 million powerhouse, leveraging private equity backing to build what it calls a “full-service, end-to-end talent solution.” The firm has completed 20 acquisitions to date, with a clear pattern of targeting high-growth verticals and adjacent services.

Recent moves include the May 2026 acquisition of Sterling Martin Associates to bolster its nonprofit practice, the April 2026 purchase of Howard Fischer Associates to expand board advisory services, and the 2022 acquisition of RoseRyan to add finance and accounting consulting. Fueled by a recent $120 million debt financing round, this M&A engine is designed to integrate specialized firms that complement ZRG's data-driven approach, which includes its proprietary “Zi Platform” for assessing candidates and culture fit.

The Fortium deal slots perfectly into this framework. It provides a crucial, specialized technology leadership component to ZRG’s Interim Solutions business, creating powerful synergies. Now, a client engaging ZRG for a permanent CEO search can simultaneously bring in a fractional CIO from Fortium to manage a critical systems migration, providing the business continuity that ZRG promises its clients.

“Fortium adds a focused capability in an important functional area for our clients,” explained ZRG CEO Larry Hartmann. “This creates meaningful opportunity to collaborate across the firm and to deliver more complete solutions when technology leadership is part of the answer.”

Bridging the Critical Tech Leadership Gap

At its core, the ZRG-Fortium combination is designed to solve a pressing business problem. Fortium’s model is built around closing two specific voids: the “Technology Leadership Credibility Gap” and the “Technology Leadership Continuity Gap.” The credibility gap appears when a company’s technology needs become C-suite-level strategic issues before it has an executive capable of addressing them. The continuity gap emerges when a key technology leader departs, leaving a vacuum during a critical project or transition.

The need is particularly acute in cybersecurity. The CISO role is in the midst of the “hottest hiring market” in a decade, as companies grapple with the existential threat of cybercrime, a phenomenon projected to cost the global economy over $12 trillion annually by 2031. Yet, a dangerous disconnect persists: while leaders acknowledge the importance of skilled people, human capital remains a top funding constraint. For a mid-market company, attracting and affording a CISO with the experience to defend against state-level threats is often impossible. A fractional CISO from Fortium provides a viable path to securing that expertise, guiding strategy, and building resilience without the full-time price tag.

This on-demand model allows businesses to deploy precisely the right level of leadership for the task at hand, whether it's for a six-month digital transformation project, an interim role during a permanent search, or ongoing strategic advisory. It’s a flexible, scalable approach that directly addresses the complex and fluid challenges modern businesses face. This acquisition positions ZRG not merely as a recruiter, but as a strategic partner in architecting the modern, agile C-suite.